Thursday, 29 January 2015

Bamberg beer blog pt.2

Michaelsberg Abbey

The next morning we walk up to the
enormous, stark and very beautiful cathedral. Here, at the top of one of
Bamberg’s many hills, I decide that ticking off every destination on the
Bamberg beer trail is not my priority. This may be one of the world’s great
beer destinations, but it’s also a stunningly beautiful town, well worth a
visit even for teetotallers. A relaxed look around the cathedral and the nearby
Michaelsberg Abbey, taking in the views and strolling along the canal in the
‘Little Venice’ area of the city, having some nice, quiet meals together; these
are all important aspects of our trip, too, and I’m glad we didn’t miss out on
them in favour of rushing around every single tavern.

Not that I’m not keen to sample my
fair share of local beer while I’m here, mind you. We stop at a quiet café down
the street from Schlenkerla for lunch, and local breweries are served on tap
here. I try Keesmann’s Herren Pils, which is a solid pilsner with a respectable
bitterness. It’s very drinkable, but doesn’t knock me out. Mahr’s Ungespundet,
on the other hand, does, and is perhaps one of the finest lagers I’ve ever
tasted. It’s unfiltered, similar to kellerbier, and matured in an open vessel which produces little carbonation. Mine is served in a steinkrug with a
beautiful head of foamy suds peeking out over the top. The first several gulps
are nothing but foam, and even this is delicious, and when I get to the liquid
itself I’m blown away. There’s a certain reaction I have to beers that really
knock me out, whereby I tend to widen my eyes and move back from the table a
little as if in disbelief – the ungespundent induces this reaction. The yeast
lends a delicate hint of ripe banana, and there’s just a wisp of smoke in
there, together with a massively refreshing lemon bite. Schenkerla’s rauchbier
aside, this is my favourite beer of the trip, one I can’t stop thinking about
now that I’m home and wish I could try again.

We’re still getting our bearings
so, after lunch, we consult the map app on our phones and head out on the
suggested route towards Obere Königsstraße , home to both Fassla and Spezial breweries.
It’s a long and uncertain walk across something of a grey no-man’s land between
the old and new sections of the city, and we have to wonder on several
occasions if we can possibly be going the right way. When we eventually do
arrive, Spezial is the first casualty of some very erratic opening hours in the
city – it’s closed. Most of the shops are, too, although it’s Saturday, and the
actual opening hours of most establishments don’t seem to match up with what’s
published on their websites or on display in shop windows. Still, across the
street, Fassla is open, and the man behind the serving hatch provides us with
two glasses of their lagerbier. This is the kind of solid, endlessly drinkable
lager I love, with comfortingly sweet malt and refreshing, citrusy hops. As
we’re leaving, we realise where we are, and that the Iphone map has led us on a
wild goose chase around the city in place of what could have been a very direct
20 minute walk. I mention it because, if you are visiting Bamberg, it’s
probably worth having a more planned out itinerary, and examining a map more
carefully before going out, than we did.

Our next stop is Klosterbrau. I’m
not sure what to expect from this place – the lady who owns our apartment recommends
it as the oldest and best brewery in the city, but pieces I’ve read online
don’t seem to regard it as an essential stop. It’s also suspiciously quiet in
comparison to the buzzing Fassla – we’re even blessed with a seat here, which
is welcome, but makes me wonder if the locals don’t rate the place. I order
their seasonal bock; not a style I’d profess to love, but it’s cold outside,
and dark bocks work well as winter warmers. Thankfully, it also tastes great,
with a depth of chocolate and liquorice flavour that is frankly astonishing.

The next morning, we return to
Spezial, hoping it will be open this time. It is, but unfortunately, lots of
locals have had the same idea – the place is teeming, with no available seats. The serving hatch in the schwemm is closed, and actually appears to be something more like the old fashioned English 'off-sales' window, with no overflow drinkers in the vicinity. We have to admit defeat. Instead, we head towards Café Abeits, in the modern
part of the city. It’s another uncertain walk, our surroundings becoming
increasingly residential the further we walk and seeming an unlikely setting
for a great beer bar, and those bars we do see look somewhat intimidating and
divey, last night’s empty bottles still littering the pavements outside. I
haven’t been feeling myself all morning and, somewhere along the way, I take a
turn for the worse, almost overcome by a wave of nausea that has me thinking
I’m about to vomit all over a neat German lawn. It comes from nowhere – it’s
not a hangover, and can’t have come from anything I’ve eaten – just completely
random. Still, I’m determined to find the café, and eventually we do. After a
momentary panic when I mistakenly think it’s closed, we take a seat in the
appealingly unfussy dining room.

I’m nervous about ordering beer, unsure if I
can keep it down, but plump for Schlenkerla’s weissbier. It’s a strange beer,
with intense smokiness blending with subtle clove spice, and probably not one
I’d have again. Along with some very good food, I finally taste Spezial’s
rauchbier lager. It pours an amber colour closer to a traditional marzen, and
the smoke is more balanced than Schlenkerla’s version; it’s relatively sweet,
with a pronounced vanilla note which, in combination with some refreshing lemon
flavours, reminds me of an ice cream float, especially when served with a big,
rocky head. Another strange beer, but I really enjoyed it.

Sadly, my stomach doesn’t quite
recover, which means no more beer. I had hoped to nip over to Wunderbar and pay
a visit to Keesmann and Mahr’s, which sit on opposite sides of the street,
before leaving the next afternoon, but I simply can’t face it. I’d be
disappointed if I hadn’t had the opportunity to taste them on tap just down the
road the day earlier in the trip. They tasted so good then that I doubt they
could have got very much fresher.

This won’t be my last visit to Bamberg, and
when I return, I’ll make sure I stop by the breweries we didn’t get around this
time. The determined drinker could certainly get around most of them, even if
you’re just in town for a day, and I’d highly recommend a trip.